Description

Next up: flight.

Let's talk about friction. Not the kind in your hub and bottom bracket bearings, which is relatively minimal. Rather, especially in the realm of time trialing, your tire choice could be as important as whether or not to wear a teardrop shaped helmet. And Continental builds their Podium TT Tubular Tire with friction reduction, or decreased rolling resistance, foremost in mind. They start with a responsive 180 tpi casing. Since it's a race tire, it doesn't get any extra layers of rubber or Duraskin that would serve to make it heavier. In fact, the tread thickness is reduced in comparison to Continental's typical road racing tires. This minimizes tread deformation under load, making the tires roll faster. And with a minimum thickness of the Black Chili tread rubber, the Podium TT tubular tires are superlight -- 70 grams lighter than Grand Prix 400 tubulars.

The Podium TT Tubular Tires are light indeed, but they have a special form of puncture protection in the Vectran Breaker system. Vectran fibers have greater cut resistance than Kevlar, so even though the tire is very light, it has a defense against road debris. After all, what good would it be to have the fastest tire on the race course if it couldn't get you to the finish line? They're available in 700 x 19mm and 700 x 22mm versions.

The 22-millimeter-width tire is only 205 grams, shaving weight where it matters the most

Black Chili rubber compound gives you the confidence to lean into every turn

View

Get the GRIP in 19mm TT

Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer

The same great tire as its' 225 gram brother! Same vectran seal! The difference is in the air pressure you can apply -- I run 180psi, but it can roll at 220psi if needed -- not needed. Fast tire, less weight, and very very gripy. Compared to TUFO 33s, they're not as fast (fractional), but are far superior in design and grip. Much much more safe guarded against punctures than TUFO.